The Watershed
Project is designed to be a stand-alone teaching tool to help students acheive
a greater understanding of the fundamental concepts of watersheds. While designed
primarily in Director 7 and encompassing both static renderings and dynamic
animations in an interactive interface, the content itself will be divided into
three main modules.
The first module deals with the issues surrounding water partitioning. Specifically, what happens to a drop of water when it falls to the earth? This module will be the most simplistic and least interactive of the modules. Presenting essentially static information, the module will contain mostly specially designed graphics and a few simple animations. User interaction will be minimal, as this section serves mainly to transfer basic concepts.
The second module is more technical. This module asnwers the question "How does water from rain get to an outflow point? And, for that matter, what IS an outflow point?" This module deals with more technical issues, from simple physics and hydrology to more complex mathematical equations. For that reason, the explanations and material will be presented in a more in-depth fashion. Again, most graphics will be created specifically for this program, but at the same time they will be accurate reflections of the deep mathematical principles involved in water flow.
The final module is by far the most complex. This module continues the question theme by answering the question "What is stream flow generation? What are its possible effects?" The presentaion of the information will be yet another mix of realism and accuracy with easy to use interaction. In addition, theis module will feature an interactive, mathematically accurate model of a watershed. By allowing users to manipulate variables like rainflow and rain duration, users will attempt to flood the watershed to better understand the forces at work behind stream-flow generation.
Site Last Updated 2/25/99